Hate Crime Charges Filed in Desert Hot Springs Attempted Murder

Attempted murder and hate crime allegations were filed today against a 19-year-old man who accidentally shot himself during an alleged attempt to kill a black employee at an auto parts store.

Rudy Arana allegedly brought a sawed-off shotgun last Thursday to the Autozone store at 12660 Palm Drive and announced he was ``there to kill a n----r,'' according to Desert Hot Springs police Chief Dale Mondary.

Employees told police that Arana appeared at the store around 7:15 a.m. looking for their co-worker, and they said he wasn't working that day. They asked if they could deliver a message on Arana's behalf, which is when he allegedly made the threat using the racial epithet, Mondary said.

After continuing to loiter near the store, Arana saw the employee he was seeking when the worker left the store to take out the trash, the chief said. He allegedly pulled the shotgun out of his waistband, then accidentally shot himself in the lower torso as the other employees were trying to wrestle thegun from him. No other injuries were reported.

Arana was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries of unknown severity and was later placed under arrest. Mondary said the victim, whose name was withheld, alleged that Arana had been threatening him for two weeks.

Arana, who's scheduled to make his initial court appearance on Wednesday, is being held at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning in lieu of $1 million bail, according to jail records.